government

Editor’s note: Article 44 at the Town Meeting on March 28 will ask if Lincoln residents support passage of the We the People Act. The full warrant can be found here.

To the editor:

I attended the first of eight “Commonwealth Conversations” with state senators at Newton North High School [last week] to urge quick passage of the crucial We The People Act (Mass. House Docket 1988, filed Jan. 15, 2015). The “Commonwealth Conversations” are a series of grassroots forums that our state senators are holding to hear from us. It was a moving experience.

[Read more…] about Letter to the editor: senators hear about We the People Act

Editor’s note: The authors are referring to Article 42 at Town Meeting on March 28. The complete Town Meeting warrant can be found here.

To the editor:

Global warming, caused primarily by the burning of fossil fuels and the resulting increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, is a serious threat to current and future generations in Lincoln and around the world. Already global warming is causing costly disruption of human and natural systems throughout the world, for example. The effects of global warming will further intensify with increased temperatures such that almost all governments in the world, including that of the United States, have agreed (through the 2009 Copenhagen Accord) that any warming above a 2º C. (3.6º F.) rise would be unsafe for human habitation. Scientists estimate that humans can emit only approximately 565 more gigatons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and still retain a reasonable hope of not exceeding 2º C. of (additional) global warming.

[Read more…] about Letter to the editor: support fossil fuel divestment at Town Meeting

To the editor:

I am writing in support of Gary Taylor’s candidacy to the Planning Board. I have known Gary through a number of years, having first worked with him when I was chair of the Finance Committee in the early 1990s. He is a thoughtful and energetic individual who would bring his much-needed skills to the board. This is particularly important from the perspective of the town’s Comprehensive Plan, formulated in 2009 and worked on for a number of years by the Implementation Committee, which I also chaired. We made periodic presentations to the Planning Board but received little support other than verbal encouragement. I believe that Gary would be instrumental in revitalizing this effort, which is so very critical to the well being of Lincoln. I encourage all of our citizenry to vote for Gary.

Peter C. Sugar
Chestnut Circle, Lincoln

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Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to news@lincolnsquirrel.com. Letters must be about a Lincoln-specific topic, will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

(Addendum, 3/5/14: The paragraph beginning with “Fourth, what about…” was added after this letter was published.)

(Editor’s note: Kanner references a letter to the Lincoln Journal by Margaret Olson for which the link is unavailable, but the Lincoln Squirrel published a similar letter from her on February 23.)

To the editor,

I believe the outdoor lighting issue is a bit more complex and potentially disruptive than Margaret Olson of the planning board suggested in her letter Friday, Feb. 27 to the Lincoln Journal, at the same time as I also support Lincoln as a delightfully idiosyncratic quasi-rural community and share the concern about excessive regional ambient light.

[Read more…] about Letter to the editor: questions on lighting proposals

To the editor:

At this year’s Town Meeting, the Planning Board is proposing for the town’s consideration two zoning amendments to further the goals of the 2014 Lincoln Station Planning Study. These will be found under Articles 37 and 38 of the Town Meeting warrant. Together these amendments are intended to promote private sector development in the Lincoln Station area. No public-sector investment is proposed at this time.

There are two distinct commercial districts at Lincoln Station: The B1 Retail Business district, located along Lincoln Road immediately north of the railroad tracks; and the B2 Service Business district located on Lewis Street immediately south of the railroad tracks. The B2 district presently excludes some B1 retail uses that we believe would be appropriate on Lewis Street. These include retail stores, banks, and retail service establishments such as barber shops, beauty shops, laundry and dry-cleaning pickup agencies, shoe repair, etc.

To facilitate retail or mixed-use development, the first amendment, Article 37, expands the uses allowed in the B2 district to include all the retail uses presently allowed in the B1 district. Uses currently allowed in the B2 district will continue to be allowed.

In addition, after studying parking requirements in nearby and similar communities, we propose to relax our parking requirement to conform more closely to current norms. The second amendment, Article 38, will reduce required parking from 1 space per 140 square feet of retail space to 1 space per 250 square feet. The proposed amendment does not alter the flexibility in the Zoning Bylaw to adjust this requirement in specific cases if appropriate.

The increased flexibility offered by these two amendments is intended to encourage business owners to explore new opportunities and to enhance the economic sustainability of our town commercial center.

Sincerely,

Richard Rundell
Chair, Lincoln Planning Board

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Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to news@lincolnsquirrel.com. Letters must be about a Lincoln-specific topic, will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.